The Rednecks First Love [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 23

You woke up to Daryl behind you with his arm around your waist, usually he was up and gone by now. Last night Dale had died and today you were having the service for him. You slowly turned around to face Daryl and kiss him. He slowly opened his eyes and the ghost of a smile on his face. "Morning, we gotta get up and head back down to the house for Dale's service." "Hmmm. Just a little longer." Daryl whispered to you. Five more minutes."

   You were all standing around Dale's grave, Daryl's arm around your shoulder while Rick spoke. "Dale could-- could get under your skin. He sure got undermined, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us-- The truth... Who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives... Our safety... ...our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on... We're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale. "

  After Ricks's speech, everyone started breaking the camp down, packing things up to move into Hershel's house. You and Daryl go and break your camp down and bring it back to the house. "It'll be tight, 14 people in one house," Rick said to Hershel. "Don't worry about that. With the swamp hardening, the creek drying up..." Hershel began "With 50 head of cattle on the property, we might as well be ringing a damn dinner bell." Maggie finished "She's right. We should've moved you in a while ago." Hershel told him. "All right, let's move the vehicles near each of the doors facing out toward the road," Rick told everyone. "What about the RV?" You asked, "Just leave it there."  "We'll build a lookout in the windmill, another in the barn loft. That should give us sightlines on both sides of the property." Rick said."T-Dog, you take the perimeter around the house. Keep track of everyone coming and going." "What about standing guard?" You asked, "I need you and Daryl on double duty." Rick told you."Gotcha." "I'll stock the basement with food and water, enough that we can all survive there a few days if need be," Hershel said. "What about patrols?"  "Let's get this area locked down first. After that, Shane'll assign shifts while I and Daryl take Randall offsite and cut him loose." Rick said. "We're back to that now?" Shane said. "It was the right plan the first time around. Poor execution." "That's a slight understatement, you don't agree, but this is what's happening." Shane continued to be the ass he is.  "Swallow it-- Move on," Rick growled. "You know that Dale's death and the prisoner-- that's two separate things, right? You wanna take Daryl as your wingman, be my guest."  "Thank you." "You got it," Shane said walking away.

  You were talking to Daryl saying goodbye and to him safe before him and Rick left to take Randall out. "Be safe out there okay and come back." You told Daryl. "I always come back." He told you. "Well don't come back with an arrow in your side." You said, smirking at him. "Can't promise anything." He said, smirking back at you, leaning down and kissing you. You wrapped your arms around his waist wishing he didn't have to go.

   Rick asked T to go get Randall so they could leave. T-dog ran back towards the three of you yelling that Randall was gone. "What's wrong?" You asked "Randall's missing." He said  "Missing? How." Rick said. We all ran to the shed where Randall was locked up. "How long has he been gone?" You asked, "What's goin' on?"  Someone asked but you didn't look to see who. "It's hard to say. The cuffs are still hooked. He must' slipped 'em." Rick answered. "Is that possible?" Carol asked, "It is if you've got nothing to lose." You said. "The door was secured from the outside." Rick said "Rick! Rick!" You heard Shane yell as he walked out of the woods.

  "What happened?" Rick asked "He's armed! He's got my gun!" Shane told him. "Are you okay?" Carl asked, "I'm fine. Little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face." "All right, Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us." Rick instructed. "T, I'm gonna need that gun," Shane said, reaching out to take it. -"Just let him go. That was the plan, wasn't it, to just let him go?" Carol said. "The plan was to cut him loose far away from here, not on our front step with a gun," Rick said. "Don't go out there." You said more to Daryl than anyone. "Y'all know what can happen," Rick said. "Get everybody back in the house. Lock all the doors and stay put!" "Go in the house Y/N."  "No! You can't go out there." "Carol take her with you." He said kissing your forehead and walking off with Rick, Shane, and Glenn.

  You were in the house pacing back and forth worried about Daryl. "Y/N sweetie how about you come sit down," Carol said to you. "I can't sit, I'm too worried," you told her. "Daryl is going to be fine." "You don't know..." just as you were finishing your sentence Daryl and Glenn walked in the house. "Daryl!" You said running to him and wrapping your arms around him. " told ya I'd always come back." He told you. "Rick and Shane ain't back?" He asked, "No." You told him. "We heard a shot." "Maybe they found Randall," Lori said. "We found him." -"Is he back in the shed?" You asked. "He's a walker," Glenn said. "Did you find the walker that bit him?" Hershel asked "No, the weird thing is he wasn't bit. His neck was broken." Daryl said. "So he fought back," Lori said. "The thing is, Shane and Randall's tracks were right on top of each other. And Shane ain't no tracker, so he didn't come up behind him. They were together." Daryl told her.  "Would you please get back out there, find Rick and Shane and find out what on earth is going on?" She asked. "You got it." "Thank you." "What! No! Are you crazy?" He said nothing while walking out on the porch.